Horizontal catalytic reactor



REACTOR Oct. 22, 1940. c. D. DILL 2,218,604

HORIZONTAL CATALYTIC REACTOR Fi led Dec. 22, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 REACTOR Oct. 22, 1940. G D. DILL HORIZONTAL CATALYTIC REACTOR Filed Dec. 22, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 M w w lwwh lull why m5 PM k kin.

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52 Tm-vm' z CA TALYTIG ACTION PRODUCTS CENTRAL :DUCT Alva REGENERATIOJV limit H Oct. 22, G. D. DILL HORIZONTAL CATALYTIC REACTOR Filed Dec. 22, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 sscrmu Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES HORIZONTAL CATALYTIC REACTOR Gilbert D. Dill, Chicago, Ill., aaalgnor to Standard Oil Development Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 22, 1938, Serial No. 247,211

2 Claims. (01123-288) This invention relates to improvements in apparatus and more particularly to a catalytic apparatus wherein is a plurality of beds of solid materials divided into small pieces and contain- 5 ing interstices through which the fluids may flow.

Where solid material'divided into small Pieces and containing interstices through which fluids flow are used as catalysts and one body or mass 10 of the solid divided material is used, there is a substantialpressure drop of the fluid contacting and passing through the said mass solid divided material. Therefore, high diflerential pressures from one side of the catalyst bed to the 15 other side are required to maintain a constant rate of flow of fluid through the mass of solid divided material.

It is an object of this invention to regulate the mass of catalytic material in various beds so 20 that the fluid may readily contact all the beds at the same time for a definite period of time, or, it desired the fluid may come in contact with larger or smaller masses of the catalytic material as the operation may require without any high diflerential pressures being required.

Another object of this invention is to change the fluid flow from series to parallel or vice versa without the use of valves placed within the reactor.

30 Further objects are to permit free expansion in all directions of the materials in the reactor and also avoiding heavy stressing oi the materials entering into the construction of the reactor and thereby reducing the amount of expensive structural material entered into the construction of the reactor.

Further objects are to provide means for maintaining the form of each bed of solid and to avoid the use 01" special metals in the con- 40 struction of an outer shell of the reactor.

These and other objects of the invention will be clearly understood when the following description is read with reference to the accomp sin drawings.

45 Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sketch or a top plan view showing the apparatus used according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view of the reactor;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at lI-II of Fig. 2, illustrating the flow of a fluid;

Fig. 4 is a downward-sectional view taken at IIIIlI of F18. 2;

Fig. 5 is another downward-sectional view takenatIV-IVofFig.2;

Fig. 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reactor and duct illustrating the flow of a regenerating fluid;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the reactor and duct partly cut away; 5 Fig. 8 is an end .view 01' the inlet portion of a central vertical duct in the reactor; and

Fig. 9 is an end view of the central vertical duct in the reactor. Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 numerals 10 I and 2 indicate reaction chambers wherein is placed the solid catalytic material in the form of granules or pills. One or a plurality or reactors may be used. Theoil vapors or other fluids that are to be reacted are taken from a supply pipe 3 and passed through pipes 4 and 5 provided with valves 6 and I into the reaction chamber. The

. fluids, after having passed through the reactor,

are withdrawn through pipes 8 and 9 provided with valves l0 and II and passed into pipe I2 and then passed to storage (not shown).

The solid catalytic material slowly loses its catalytic activity and must either be replaced with a fresh charge or the catalytic material or regenerated. This apparatus is especially designed to use a catalytic material which is to be regenerated, for example, when a deposit of coke is formed, that lessens the surface contact or the catalytic material and the reacting fluid. The spent catalyst is then contacted with an oxygen-containing gas at an elevated temperature to oxidize the coke and other impurities and remove them from the reaction vessel.

The temperature of a fluid that is used to regenerate the cataiytic material in the reactors is regulated by means of a heat exchanger l3 and the fluid is then passed through pipe it into pipes l5 and IS. The desired temperature of the regenerating fluid is that at which oxidation of the coke or other impurities is readily obtained. Fresh air or other regenerative gas may be added into pipe It by means of pipe II provided with valve It to replenish the fluid that is used to regenerate the catalytic material. The pressure of the fluid is regulated by a pump not'shown arranged on pipe i1. Blowers i9 and 20 are provided to aid the flow of material and to take up pressure drop of the fluid. It is not intended to limit this apparatus to the use of any specified number of blowers, as one or more blowers may be used. The fluid is passed into pipe 2| and through pipes 22 and 23, provided with valves 24 and 25 into the reactor. The regenerative gas, after passing through the reactor, is withdrawn through Pipes 2 and 21 provided with butterfly the opposite end 36.

valves 29 and 29 and valves 39 and 3! and recycled through pipe 32 to the heat exchanger l3.

In operating this apparatus, when oil vapors or other fluids are to be passed through the reactor, valves 24, 25, 30 and 3| and butterfly valves 23 and 29 are closed, valves 6, I, III and II being open to allow the passage of the oil vapors through the reactors. The reactors may be used alternately, that is, one reactor may be used to catalytically react with oil vapors while the catalytic material in the other reactor is being regenerated. When the reactors are used to regenerate the catalyticmaterial, valves 9, 1., l3 and allare closed and valves 24, 25, 23, 29, 30 and 3| are open. The valves are used to control the direction of flow of material and the valves may be adjusted so that one reactor is used to catalytically react with an oil vapor, while the catalytic material in the other reactor is being regenerated.

Referring to Fig. 2, in a reactor such as I or 2 two inlets 32 and 33 are provided to pass fluids into the reactor, inlet 32 to pass fluids into the lower part 34 of the reactor and inlet 33 to pass fluids into a central vertical. duct 35 arranged in the central part of the reactor I and closed on In the central part of the reactor I are supported two double tiers 31 of a series of beds of catalysts. The catalytic material is in divided granular or pill form and is retained in place by means of screens 38 which in turn are supported by grids 38'. The catalytic material that is held in the two double tiers of a series of beds extending to both sides of the reactor, forming tight Jointures with the inner walls of the reaction vessel and in the center with the outer walls of the central horizontal duct 35 that runs from the inlet 33" towards the outlet 39 and has a closed end 36 that is in space relation to the. outlet 39. The two double tiers 21 are arranged to provide flre spaces 4| between the upper and lower layers. Ports 49 are provided in the central horizontal duct 35 to pass the fluid from the central duct to lateral passages 4| that divide the series of beds of catalytic material to upper and lower tiers of a series of beds, from which lateral passages 4| the fluid may pass upward or downward through the catalytic beds. The fluid entering through inlet 33 can only pass into the central duct and not directly into the lower part of the reactor, a closed e 33' connecting the inlet to the central duct 38. A hinged plate 42 is provided to allow or stop the passage of a fluid from the lower part of the reactor 34 into the end part of the reactor to the outlet 39. Altemately two outlets in place of outlet 39 may be provided with a flxed plate arrangement separating the outlets from lower space 34 and the upper space 33 of the reaction vessel. Plate 42 may be dispensed with, the direction of flow of the fluid being regulated through the catalytic bodies by valves arranged with these two outlets. When only one outlet is used, the gas passes from the upper space 43 of the reactor into the outlet 39.

When operating the reactor to catalytically crack a petroleum hydrocarbon, oil is passed into lower part 34 of the reactor by means of the inlet 32, plate 42 is used to stop the flow of oil directly to outlet 39 from space 14. The oil vapors pass upward through both layers of the catalytic beds 31 into the upper part 43 of the reactor and are withdrawn from the reactor by means of outlet 39. When the reactor is being used to regenerate the catalytic material, the baiiie 42 is opened to allow passage of fluids directly from lower part 34 of the reactor to outlet 39. An oxygen-com.

taining gas or other regenerating fluid is introduced into the reactor through inlet 33, passes through the central duct 35 and through ports 40 into the lateral passages 4|. The regenerating fluid passes both upward and downward through the catalytic beds 31 into the lower part 34 of the reactor and the upper part 43 of reactor Ihe gas is withdrawn through outlet 39 and passed to boiler l3. The central duct 38 is relatively quite large and tapered in form in order to allow a large volume of reactive fluid that is used for regenerating the catalyst to quickly contact the layers of catalytic material.

The invention is not to be limited to the specific i embodiments shown or the specific examples given, nor to any theories advanced as to the shell, super-imposed horizontal layers of beds containing solid catalytic material in granular form arranged within the horizontal shell forming continuous layers between the horizontal shell and the walls of the central duct, a space above and a space below the said super-imposed layers and said duct, and open spaces between the said super-imposed layers and adjacent said duct, ports in said central duct communicating with the open spaces between the super-imposed layers containing solid catalytic material, an outlet in said shell for withdrawing the fluid from the spaces above and below the super-imposed layers of solid catalytic material, whereby fluid may be passed into said duct, through said ports, through said layers in parallel, and be, withdrawn from above and below said beds from said shell, an inlet in said shell for passing fluid into the space below! the super-imposed layers of solid catalytic material, internal means for directing the direction of flow of said last named fluid from the space below the super-imposed layers of beds up through said layers and an outlet in said shell for withdrawing the fluid from the space above the super-imposed layers.

2. An apparatus for carrying out catalytic reactions according to claim 1, in which said internal means is a hinged plate arranged to stop or allow the flow of material from the space below the said super-imposed layers containing solid 1 catalytic material to the outlet of the horizontal shell.

. GILBERT D. DILL. 

